POV 2: Whose Do You Use?

Operating with multiple POV characters means that sometimes you have more than one of them in a scene. This presents you with a choice: whose eyes should we watch this through?

Of course, the answer is “it depends,” but that doesn’t mean you have nothing to go on. It might be easy. If one of your POV candidates carries vital knowledge that the others lack, it probably makes sense to go with them. Probably. On the other hand, maybe it would be richer for the reader to share in dawning realization, to hear the news with innocent ears.

The weight of what’s revealed or discussed in the scene might not fall evenly on those involved. Any given big moment is probably bigger for one character than for the rest. So, if you use that character’s POV you can spell out their inner state. This works well when the emotional reaction isn’t exactly what might be expected, or when the character’s surface response doesn’t give much away. If it’s the key gut-punch moment in this person’s arc, then using anyone else’s POV would be a missed opportunity.

But again, there’s no single correct approach. Using one of the other POVs creates a chance to observe how the primary recipient takes the news. Even if it is a crucial turn for that character, you might want to show it from one remove. This can allow tension to be prolonged or escalated, creating anticipation for circling back to their POV.

There’s nothing stopping you from rewriting the scene from a few different vantages to see what works best. Experiment.

A writing partner is someone who’s always ready to offer you another point of view.